Austin Golf Trail

by Terry Vander Heiden

Golf in and around Austin, Texas is steeped in rich golf history. Some of the golf greats from the Austin area are PGA Tour major winners, Ben Crenshaw and Tom Kite as well as legendary golf teaching guru, Harvey Penick. The city of Austin known as the “Live Music Capital of the World” is now trying to become a premier golf destination - but this is Texas, so it’s been a slow process.

The Austin Golf Trail is the brainchild of Chip Gist, Director of golf at Grey Rock Golf Club in Austin. When Gist shouldered the responsibilities of Grey Rock Golf Club five years ago, golf courses and hotels were not in any collaboration and Gist needed to increase the rounds of golf played at his golf course.

“In Texas, nobody wants to co-op anything, we all want to do our own thing.” Gist explains.

So after running into roadblocks again and again, Gist enlisted the help of the Austin CVB and Bob Lander. With Lander’s help the Austin Golf Trail was born.

The Austin Golf Trail (www.austingolftrail.com) is an alliance between select golf courses and hotels to simplify the process for the traveling golfer by securing premium tee times and making hotel reservations. The easy-to-use web site and toll-free phone number will make getting advance tee times for the traveler a simple process.

The concierge like service helps the golfer nail down what kind of golf they are looking for, be it premium, resort or municipal style. They will help you book the kind of room and city location and even direct golfers to a place to dine after their round.

Grey Rock's 13th

On the Austin Golf Trail list is Chip Gist’s golf course, Grey Rock Golf Club. Grey Rock, opened in 1992 and was designed by Jay Morrish, who made it challenging as well as appealing for players of all skill levels. Stretching out to over 6800 yards from the gold tees Grey Rock has a rating of 73.4 and slope of 130. However, the white tees play to only just under 5700 yards and a 68.1/123 rating and slope.

Grey Rock has played host to the U.S. Open qualifier and the Texas Woman’s Amateur Championship. As a modern day “hybrid” golf club where memberships are sold and public play is offered, Grey Rock can make the Austin traveler feel like a country club member for the day.

With live oak trees shading the edges of the golf course, Grey Rock does require some accurate tee shots. Along with it’s five lakes and marshland there are plenty of challenges and opportunities for success at just about any golf hole.

About 25 minutes away there is another splendid golf resort that is also part of the Austin Golf Trail, Barton Creek Resort and Spa. At Barton Creek (www.bartoncreek.com) there are four golf courses you can play, two designed by Tom Fazio, one by Arnold Palmer and one designed by Austin native, Ben Crenshaw, that spread out over 4,000 acres of resort land.

Working their way up and down the Texas Hill Country of Austin, the courses at Barton Creek offer intense challenges with unrivaled Texas beauty.

The Fazio Canyons golf course is a fantastic layout with lots of options off the tee and many risk/reward shots to challenge any level of player.

As evident by the name, you play your round of golf on the Canyons Course down through canyons and then tee off with gorgeous Texas vistas as your backdrop. The canyons are bordered by limestone hillsides that were chiseled out to make way for the golf course. Much of the limestone was recycled in to pathways and water features throughout the golf course.

The Canyons golf course is a certified Audubon Sanctuary that is home to a multitude of wildlife creatures, so you are likely to see everything from White Tailed Deer to Red Tailed Hawks on and about the golf courses.

As you make your way around the Fazio Canyons course you will be treated to Texas golf as it should be. The black tees will give you more than you bargain for at over 7100 yards. The 75.1/141 rating and slope of the black tees contrast well with the white tees that play just over 6000 yards and yield a 70.1/126 rating and slope. When you play Barton Creek make sure to go up to some of the tougher tee boxes, especially 16, 17 and 18 to catch some of the vistas from back there – truly spectacular!

At the end of eighteen holes on the Fazzio Canyons course make sure to stop at the Old/New “Rock House”. This rustic, restored home is a comfortable place to relax, have a cold drink and relive the golf game at a unique 19th hole location.

One of the hotels that are part of the Austin Golf Trail is the DoubleTree Suites (www.austinsuites.doubletree.com) on West 15th street. The DoubleTree is located just a couple of blocks from the state capital building and a couple of blocks away from famed 6th Street, the heart of the Austin live music scene. Being only 20 minutes from the airport the DoubleTree is viable option to staying at one of the airport hotels.

Each room is laid out like a miniature apartment with a small kitchenette, living room and bedroom(s). The beds are especially comfortable as are the living areas are spacious. With all DoubleTree suites you are offered their signature warm chocolate chip cookies upon check in. Make sure to take the cookies when offered they might get you by in a pinch for a small meal. Also, be wary of the room service fees at the Doubletree Austin, the cost for breakfast can be a real shock early in the morning. Luckily there are plenty of other places to grab meals all within walking distance.

Since Austin is the Live Music Capitol of the World, you will not want to miss the opportunity to check out live entertainment any day of the week. Your first stop for live music should be the famed Broken Spoke and authentic Texas Dancehall and Honky Tonk.

The Broken Spoke opened in 1964 and feels like you are stepping back into history as you arrive under the majestic oak tree framing this Texas treasure. The sound of the gravel popping under the tires and the small dust cloud you will create finding a parking spot at this very popular venue, is just the beginning. As you enter, you start to feel the energy of the patrons laughing and dancing as you work your way back to the live music on the stage at the center of the dance floor. Settle into a simple red and white-checkered tablecloth covered table; order a beer and just watch the dancers. Couples float around the dance floor decked out in all their western finery where you will see lots of tight jeans and dusty cowboy boots as the band plays country two-step music all night long.

The owner James White still greets his famous list of celebrity country stars from the semi-regular Willie Nelson to current greats such as George Strait. Along with local entertainment every night you can take a look at the memorabilia in the “Tourist Trap Room” where you will find photos of many of the past stars posing with White, such as Dolly Parton, Earnest Tubbs, Kris Kristofferson and Ray Price to name a few. The “Spoke” as the locals call it, is truly a Texas treasure and not to be missed if you find yourself in Austin.

If country music is not your thing – then the rest of Austin is for you. From Singer/songwriters, jazz bands, blues and rock and roll – you a likely to see it live in downtown Austin any night of the week.

A fun little club called the Saxon Pub features artists nightly as well as live music can be even found at the Austin airport.

For eats in Austin you can dine in fine restaurants or have an eclectic meal at one of the various food trailers found throughout the city. Food Trailers are just that, Airstream trailers retrofitted as kitchens. These food trailers are found parked at designated trailer parks where all types of food can be consumed. As long as you don’t mind eating off paper plates and using plastic utensils, food like gourmet cupcakes and artisan salads are all offered at these food trailers. Each trailer will specialize in one type of food, like filled crepes or pork belly sliders, so you might find that you are spending all your time eating in a parking lot to sample all the delights.

So whether you are listening to live music, eating your way around Austin or playing golf on all the courses of the Austin Golf Trail, a trip to Austin will provide enough entertainment for everyone.

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